Dharmasthala whistleblower arrested for 'fake' claims and false evidence in ‘mass burial’ case: Sources

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the alleged “mass burial” case in Dharmasthala has arrested the primary complainant after finding inconsistencies in his statements and evidence. Officials confirmed that the arrest followed over 20 hours of questioning, after which the complainant was taken for a medical examination and later produced before the Beltangady court.

The complainant, a former sanitation worker who claimed to have worked in Dharmasthala between 1995 and 2014, alleged that he was forced to bury bodies, including those of women and minors. He said several of the victims bore signs of sexual assault and pointed investigators to multiple burial sites along the Netravathi River. Excavations were carried out at over a dozen spots he identified, and skeletal remains were recovered from two sites. Forensic confirmation on the remains is awaited.

The allegations gained further attention when another complainant, Sujatha Bhat, said her daughter Ananya, an 18-year-old medical student, went missing during a visit to Dharmasthala in May 2003. Bhat claimed she was abducted, tied up, and warned not to speak about her daughter’s disappearance, adding that she was assaulted, went into a coma, and was treated at a Bengaluru hospital. Her statements included accusations of mass burials and sexual assaults linked to the temple authorities, which prompted public outrage and led to the constitution of the SIT.

On Friday, Bhat retracted her allegations, admitting that her story was fabricated. She said she was influenced due to a property dispute involving land owned by her grandfather, which she alleged was taken over by the Dharmasthala temple authorities. Bhat stated, “Some people told me to say it. I was asked to do it because of the property issue. That’s the only reason.” She also said activists Girish Mattannavar and T Jayanti encouraged her to repeat the story, though she clarified that no money was involved.

Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara recently informed the Assembly that excavations were carried out at sites shown by the complainants, but no conclusive evidence had been established yet. He said the SIT would decide on further action depending on the forensic results and warned that legal measures could be taken if the allegations were proven false.